From gars@speakeasy.org Wed May 12 21:25:40 2004 Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 15:39:34 -0700 From: Gary Night Owl To: Internet Recipients of Wotanging Ikche Subject: Wotanging Ikche--nanews12.020 _ __ _____ __ _ __ ___ ____ _ __ ___ ' ) / / ') / / ) ' ) ) / ) / ' ) ) / ) / / / / / / /--/ / / / ___ / / / / ___ (_(_/ (__/ ( / (_ / (_ (___/ '__/_ / (_ (___/ ' ____ _ , ___ _ , ___ / ' ) / / ) ' ) / / ' VOLUME 12, ISSUE 020 / /-< / /--/ /-- __/_ / ) (___/ / ( (___, WOTANGING IKCHE - Lakota - Common News Wotanging Ikche and Native American News Copyright c. 1996-2004 nanews.org Aboriginal/AmerIndian Perspective about the First Nations of Turtle Island May 15, 2004 Assiniboine indiwiga/idle moon Anishnaabe waabigwani-giizis/blossom moon +-------------------------------------------------------+ | Much more happens in Indian Country than is reported | | in this weekly newsletter. For daily updates & events | | go to http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm | +-------------------------------------------------------+ Otapi'sin Atsinikiisinaakssin -- Blackfeet -- News for All the People Ni-mah-mi-kwa-zoo-min -- Ojibwe -- We Are Talking About Ourselves Aunchemokauhettittea -- Naragansett -- Let Us Share News Kanoheda Aniyvwiya -- Cherokee -- Journal of the People O Es'te Opunvk'vmucvse -- Creek -- People's New News O o O Acimowin -- Plains Cree -- Story or Account O o O Tlaixmatiliztli -- Nahuatl -- News O o o o o O Agnutmaqan -- Listuguj Mi'kmaq -- News O o O Sho-da-ku-ye -- Teehahnahmah -- Talking Birchbark O o O Un Chota -- Susquehannic Seneca -- The People Speak O Ha-Sah-Sliltha -- Ditidaht Nation -- News of the People Ximopanolti tehuatzin, inin Mexika tlahtolli -- Nahuatl -- For you we offer these words It-hah-pe-hah Ah-num pah-le -- Chickasaw -- Together We Are Talking Dineh jii' adah' ho'nil'e'gii ba' ha' neh -- Navajo Nation -- What's Happening among The People News Okla Humma Holisso Nowat Anya -- Choctaw -- People(s) Red Newspaper Hi'a chu ah gaa -- Pima -- The stories or the talk of the People Native American News -- Language of the Occupation Forces ++>If you speak a Native American language not listed above, please send us your words for "News of the People." We'd rather take up this whole page saving these few words of our hundreds of nations than present a nice clean banner in the language of the occupation forces who came here determined to replace our words with their own. email gars@nanews.org with the equivalent of "News of the People" in your tribal language along with the english translation <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is produced in straight ASCII text for greatest portability across platforms. Read it with a fixed-pitch font, such as Courier, Monaco, FixedSys or CG Times. Proportional fonts will be difficult to read. <================<<<< >>>>================> This issue contains articles from www.owlstar.com; www.indianz.com; www.pechanga.net; Rez_Life, News and Information Distribution, Frostys AmerIndian, First Nations & ndn-aim Mailing Lists; UUCP email IMPORTANT!! ----------- In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, all material appearing in this newsletter is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for educational purposes. <================<<<< >>>>================> This newsletter is a way of keeping the brothers and sisters who share our Spirit informed about current events within the lives of those who walk the Red Road. ++ It may be subscribed to via email by sending a request from your own internet addressable account to gars@speakeasy.org ++ It is archived at http://www.nanews.org <================<<<< >>>>================> +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | As historian Patricia Nelson | | Once a language is lost, it is | | Limerick summarized in "The | | gone forever | | Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken | | * Of the 300 original Native | | Past of the American West... | | languages in North America, | | "Set the blood quantum at | | only 175 exist today. | | one-quarter, hold to it as a | | * 125 of these are no longer | | rigid definition of Indians, | | learned by children. | | let intermarriage proceed as | | * 55 are spoken by 1 to 6 elders;| | it had for centuries, and | | when they die, their language | | eventually Indians will be | | will disappear. | | defined out of existence." | | * Without action, only 20 | | "When that happens, the federal | | languages will survive the next| | government will be freed of | | 50 years. | | its persistent 'Indian problem.'"| | Source: Indigenous Language | +-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --+ | Institute | |http://www.indigenous-language.org| This issue's Elder Quote: + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + ======================== "Some of our chiefs make the claim that the land belongs to us. It is not what the Great Spirit told me. He told me that the lands belong to Him, that no people owns the land; that I was not to forget to tell this to the white people when I met them in council." __Kanekuk, Kickapoo +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Indian Pledge of Allegiance | The Indian Pledge of Alleg- | | iance was first presented | I pledge allegiance to my Tribe,| on 2 December '93 during the | to the democratic principles | opening address of the Nat- | of the Republic | ional Congress of American | and to the individual freedoms | Indian Tribal-States Relat- | borrowed from the Iroquois and | ions Panel in Reno, NV. NCAI | Choctaw Confederacies, | plans distribution of the | as incorporated in the United | Indian Pledge to all Indian | States Constitution, | Nations. | so that my forefathers | | shall not have died in vain | Walk in Beauty! Night Owl +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ | Journey | In the summer and early fall | The Bloodline | of 1998 the Treaty Unity Riders | | rode a thousand miles on horse- | For all that live and live by law | back, carrying a staff and | We Stand, we Call, We Ride | praying each step of the way. | For All that fear and fear by sight | | We Hear, we Listen, we Ride | These prayers were offered for | For all that pray and pray by strength| each of us, and that the Unity | We Feel, we Move, we Ride | of all Peoples might happen. | For all that die and die by greed | | We Hurt, we Cry, we Ride | Tatanka Cante forwarded this | For all that birth and birth by right | poem on behalf of all the Unity | We Smile, we Hold, we Ride | Riders that we might stop and | For all that need and need by heart | ask if the next words we say, the | We Came, we Went, we Rode. | next act we make is for the good | | of the People or is it from ego | Treaty Unity Riders | for self. +- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -+ O'siyo Brothers and Sisters! Harlan McKosato, who has hosted Native America Calling for the past six years, resigned Friday April 16, citing personal reasons. Patty Talahongva (Hopi) will assume the host's chair while parent company Koahnic Broadcast Corporation (KBC) launches a national search for a permanent host. Talahongva's voice is familiar to many NAC listeners because she has been a regular fill-in host for the past several years. KBC is searching for a host for the nationally distributed, live, call-in, radio talk show, "Native America Calling"(NAC), which is produced each weekday out of the studios of KUNM-FM on the University of New Mexico campus in beautiful Albuquerque. Details and requirements are posted on the NAC website: http://www.nativeamericacalling.org/ Much of what we have come to know of NAC has come through the efforts of Harlan. He thought of Native America Calling as a five-day-a-week "electronic talking circle." He was quoted in an article March 25, 2004 in High Country News: The show "comes from our tradition of democracy," says the soft-spoken McKosato, whose tribal roots are in Oklahoma with the Sac and Fox/Ioway nations. "The concept of a talking circle uses an object, maybe a staff with feathers on it or a shell with burning sage in it, something that symbolizes humbling yourself in front of the Creator. Everyone gets a chance to talk ... but at the same time (we) recognize the protocol not to talk too long." Shortly after that article we heard of some personal difficulties Harlan is going through. Keep this brother in your hearts. He has given much of himself to the people, and needs your prayer to help him through the tough times he is now facing. Dohiyi Oginalii , , Gary Smith (*,*) gars@speakeasy.org P. O. Box 672168 (`-') gars@nanews.org Marietta, GA 30008, U.S.A. ===w=w=== http://www.nanews.org ----------- News of the people featured in this issue ---------- - from Chief Arvol Looking Horse - New Money found - Chinook Tribe for 'Language Nests' may boycott Lewis & Clark - Infused with Tradition - OPINION: U ignores - Charter School proposal Spiritual aspects of Telescope has Native ideas - Senator wants Indian Affairs Head - Statement from Kahnawa:ke to Quit Grand Chief Norton - BIA's model for change - RCMP to patrol troubled Kanesatake - Lawmakers shocked - Natives ask Pipeline Partners by Navajo Living Conditions for Land Fees - Kickapoos seek help - AFN Chief Disappointed from BIA for Reservoir by Supreme Court - Osage Membership Bill - Gwich'in request to join CYFN clears House Committee called Historic - Interfering Politicians - Premiers form United Front keep Nipmuc waiting to face Feds - Urban Indian Women - Rival Gangs at higher risk for HIV plague Stand Off Reserve - King Ranch as new home - Maya Artifacts found in Guatemala for White Buffalo - Looking Cloud Lawyer - Donated Houses appeals Murder Conviction have Lead, Asbestos - Judge allows Confession - American Indian for accused Spree-Killer and Alaska Native Education - Native Prisoner - Trail of Tears -- The Way America Treats flowed through Hopkinsville its own Inmates - Yavapai Nation - Rustywire: The Buckskin open to Big Business - History: Carlisle Indian School - YELLOW BIRD: Visitors want - Verse: Hawaiian Book of Days glimpse of Indian Life - James Starkey Poem: - Lifeline Campaign In the struggle we stand targets Tribal Areas - Portland, TN Powwow --------- "RE: from Chief Arvol Looking Horse" --------- Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 13:55:14 EDT From: softbrezes45@aol.com Subj: from Chief Arvol Looking Horse.. Mailing List: Rez_LIfe Mitakuye Oyasin (All My Relations), I, Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Nations, would like to ask for this time for you to understand an Indigenous perspective in reflection of what has happened in America, what we call "Turtle Island". For the past six years, my work has concentrated on an effort on uniting the Global community, through a message from our sacred ceremonies in recognizing a day of World Peace and Prayer on June 21st as a time to unite spiritually, each in our own ways of beliefs in the Creator. We have been warned from the messages, passed down from Ancient Prophecies of these times we live in today, but also a very important message of a solution to turn these terrible times around. To assist you in understanding the depth of this message involves the recognition in the importance of Sacred Sites. It is important that you realize the whole interconnectedness of what is happening today, in reflection of the continued massacres that are occurring on other lands and our own Americas. I have been learning about these important issues of Sacred Sites since the age of 12, upon receiving the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle and it's teachings. Our people have strived to protect Sacred Sites from the beginning of time. There needs to be an understanding in the concern of the protection of Sacred Sites that goes deeper than just the issue of Shrines built by humans. Our people have built similar objects and Shrines to identify and to remind the significance in the power of the Sacred Site. We have also witnessed them being destroyed for many decades, but we also realize it is what is underneath them that is important. These places have been violated for centuries and have brought us to this predicament that we are in concerning the unstable Global Level thus far. Look around you, our Mother Earth is very ill from these violations and we are at a brink of destroying a healthy and nurturing survival for generations to come, our children's children. Our ancestors have been trying to protect our Sacred Site from the continued violations called the Sacred Black Hills in SD, "Heart of Everything that is". Our ancestors never seen this site from a Satellite view, but now that those pictures are available with modern technology, we see that it is in the shape of a heart and when fast forwarded it looks like a heart pumping. The Dine have been protecting Big Mountain, calling it the liver and now that the coal is depleting, we are suffering and going to suffer more from the extraction of the coal and poison processes used in doing so. The Aborigines has warned of the contaminating effects on the Corral Reefs from Global Warming, which they see as Mother Earth's blood purifier, our sacred water is being polluted. The Indigenous people of the Rain Forest relay that the Rain Forest are the lungs and need protection and now we see the Brazilian Government approved the depletion of 50% of this Sacred Site. The Gwich'in Nation has an issue of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, also known to the Gwich'in as 'Where the life begins!' The coastal plain is also the birthplace of many other life forms of Animal Nations. The death of these Animal Nations will destroy Indigenous Nations in this territory. As these destructive developments continue all over the world, we will witness many more extinct Animal, Plant and Human Nations, because of the misuse of power that mankind has made and their lack of understanding the "balance of life". The Indigenous people warn that these destructive developments will cause havoc globally. There are many, many more Indigenous awareness's and knowledge of Mother Earth's Sacred Sites, connections (Mother Earth's Charkas) to our spirit that will surely affect our future generations. These people are still suffering from this contamination and their livelihood is being destroyed as I write this to you. There needs to be a fast move toward other forms of energy that are safe for all Nations upon Mother Earth. We need to understand the whole picture in the type of minds that are continuing to destroy the spirit of our whole Global Community. Unless we do this, the powers of destruction will overwhelm us. Our Ancestors foretold that water would someday be for sale. Back then this was hard to believe, since the water was so plentiful, so pure, and so full of energy, nutrition and spirit. Today we have to buy pure water, and even then the nutritional minerals have been taken out; it's just empty liquid. Someday water will be like gold, too expensive to afford. Not everyone will have the right to drink safe water. We fail to appreciate and honor our Sacred Sites, ripping out the minerals and gifts that lay underneath them, as if Mother Earth were simply a resource, instead of the Source of Life itself. Attacking Nations and having to utilize more resources to carry out the destruction in the name of Peace and elimination is not the answer! We need to understand how all these decisions affects the Global Nation, we will not be immune to it's repercussions. To allow continual contamination of our food and land, is now affecting the way we think. A "disease of the mind" has set in World Leaders and many members of our Global Community, with their understanding that a solution of retaliation and destruction of peoples will bring Peace. In our Prophecies it is told that we are now at the Crossroads, either unite Spiritually as a Global Nation, or be faced with chaos, disasters, diseases and tears from our relatives eyes. In times of disasters it is sad to say that it is the only time that we unite spiritually, but we must not taint it with anger and retaliation. We are the only species that is destroying the Source of life, meaning Mother Earth, in the name of power, mineral resources and ownership of land, using methods of chemicals and warfare that is becoming irreversible, as Mother Earth is becoming tired and can not sustain any more impacts of war. I ask you to join me on this endeavor. Our vision is for the Peoples of all continents, regardless of their beliefs in the Creator, to come together as one at their Sacred Sites at that sacred moment of what is known as the Summer Solstice of June 21st, to pray and meditate and commune with one another, thus promoting an energy shift to heal our Mother Earth and achieve a universal consciousness toward attaining Peace. As each day passes bringing us to this day of concentration together, I ask the Global Nations to begin a Global effort, in knowing that each and every one of us are making a daily effort in waking to a gratitude of another day, that is gifted to us and begin to remember to give thanks for the Sacred Food that has been also gifted to us by our Mother Earth, so the nutritional energy of medicine can be guided to heal our minds and spirits. This new millennium will usher in an age of harmony or it will bring the end of life as we know it. Starvation, war and toxic waste have been the hallmark of the Great Myth of Progress and Development that ruled the last millennium. To us, as caretakers of the heart of Mother Earth, falls the responsibility of turning back the powers of destruction. We have come to a time and place of great urgency. The fate of future generations rests in our hands. We must understand the two ways we are free to follow, as we choose-the positive way or the negative way...the spiritual way or the material way. It's our own choice--each of ours and all of ours. You yourself are the one who must decide. You alone-and only you--can make this crucial choice. Whatever you decide is what you'll be, to walk in honor or to dishonor your relatives. You can't escape the consequences of your own decision. On your decision depends the fate of the entire World. You must decide. You can't avoid it. Each of us is put here in this time and this place to personally decide the future of humankind. Did you think the Creator would create unnecessary people in a time of such terrible danger? Know that you yourself are essential to this World. Believe that! Understand both the blessing and the burden of that. You yourself are desperately needed to save the soul of this World. Did you think you were put here for something less? In a Sacred Hoop of Life, where there is no beginning and no ending! Mitakuye Oyasin, Chief Arvol Looking Horse1 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe kris "A Warrior is challenged to assume responsibility, practice humility, and display the power of giving, and then center his or her life around a core of spirituality. I challenge today's youth to live like a warrior." ~Billy Mills~ --------- "RE: Chinook Tribe may boycott Lewis & Clark" --------- Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 08:11:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CHINOOK BOYCOTT" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/~/2001924304_lewisandclark10m.html Key tribe may boycott activities By Joseph B. Frazier The Associated Press May 10, 2004 SOUTH BEND, Pacific County - Representatives of the Indian tribe that welcomed a soggy and tired Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific in 1805 after a 4,000-mile trek say the tribe may take a hike of its own when bicentennial festivities here begin. The Chinook Indian Nation says it will pull out of the celebrations at the western end of the Lewis and Clark Trail if another, smaller group, the Clatsop-Nehalem tribe, is allowed to participate on an equal footing. At issue is the identity of the "homeland tribe." "It is a huge issue for us," said Gary Johnson, chairman of the Chinooks. "In our belief, they (the Clatsop-Nehalems) are not a historic or traditional tribal group," said Johnson, who lives in this town 50 miles north of where Meriwether Lewis and William Clark ended their westward trek. Their journals mention several tribes at Fort Clatsop, where they spent the 1805-06 winter, but named Fort Clatsop after the nearest one. The Clatsops were dominant in the area; the Nehalems, the Tillamooks and other tribes lived to the south. Today, the Chinooks claim to be the "Homeland Tribe" that represents the Lower Chinook, Clatsop, Willapa, Wahkiakum and Cathlamet tribes, who make up the lion's share of the lower Columbia groups. The Clatsop-Nehalems, the Chinooks contend, are come-lately interlopers who fall under their jurisdiction. Joe Scovell, chairman of the Clatsop-Nehalems, disagrees. "We have had (separate status) historically and the treaties say we have it. They just don't want to accept us as equal participants," said Scovell, 81, who lives in Turner, in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The controversy might mystify the explorers, who seemed to find more similarities than differences among the tribes. "The Clatsops, Chinooks and Killamucks (Tillamooks) are very loquacious and inquisitive ... " Lewis wrote in January 1806. "They appear to be a mild inoffensive people and have been very friendly to us." "The Killamucks, Clatsops, Chinooks, Cathlamas and Wac-ki-a-cums resemble each other as well in their persons and dress as in their habits and manners ... " Lewis wrote in March 1806, a few days before the expedition left Fort Clatsop for home. The river tribes helped get the explorers through the miserable winter of 1805-1806 at Fort Clatsop. Five days of bicentennial activities are planned for the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River beginning Nov. 11, 2005, the same time of year the explorers reached the Pacific. Other celebrations will mark the bicentennial of other events, ending with one in March 2006 for the departure of the explorers for home. Several tribes in the region have been invited to take part. Although tribal lineage has been blurred over time, the Chinooks insist on representing all Native American groups that welcomed Lewis and Clark on the Pacific Coast, and want a lesser role for the Clatsop-Nehalems. Because neither group has federally recognized tribal status, the issue has become one of history and ethnic ties, not of law. The Clatsop-Nehalems would like to demonstrate canoe-making and other tribal skills, Scovell said. The disputing sides have met, but to no avail. A retired educator, Scovell said the Clatsop-Nehalems were treated separately when tribal rolls were drawn up in 1906, and in 1851 treaties. The Clatsops and Nehalems lived near each other, got along and shared a language, he said. While some Clatsops may be Chinooks, Scovell says, not all of them choose to be, and some have opted to be Clatsop-Nehalems. His "Brief History of the Clatsop-Nehalem People" says today's Clatsop- Nehalem people are the combined product of Clatsop and Nehalem-Tillamook ancestry and descendants of the tribes Lewis and Clark found on the lower Columbia. In the late 1980s, Clatsop-Nehalems, led by Scovell, began enrolling members. The nationwide Council of Tribal Advisers has identified 58 tribes as among those who helped Lewis and Clark. Jan Mitchell, president of the local Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Association, said it has issued broad invitations and wants to stay out of tribal politics. Noting that the arrival of the explorers was the beginning of the end of traditional Indian lifestyles, she said "not all (Indians) are excited about the bicentennial." Copyright c. 2004 The Seattle Times Company. --------- "RE: OPINION: U ignores Spiritual aspects of Telescope" --------- Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 23:38:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="CASH FOR CULTURE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2004/05/07/9638 Opinion: U ignores spiritual aspects of telescope By Dwight Metzger and Joel T. Helfrich, Columnists May 7, 2004 Which leg do you want me to cut off - the spiritual leg or the scientific leg?" queried Jim Rock, a traditional Dakota educator, to a University administrator during a press conference Wednesday outside of University President Bob Bruininks' office. Rock's words go to the heart of a controversy, the ugly effect of which is clear. The spiritual leg of the University has cancer. Will Minnesota officials' preferential allegiance to science leave it spiritually crippled or will it excise the malignant growth and recognize the need to function more holistically? For 13 years, Rock has taught math and science at the University's Ando- giikendaasowin ("seek to know" or "hunt knowledge") Native American Math and Science Camps. Recently the summer program has been offered money to recruit Apache youths from San Carlos, Ariz. This is a direct example of a "cash for culture" trade Minnesota administrators see as an acceptable trade-off for their participation in the Mount Graham telescope project. For those reasons, Rock, whose love is integrating indigenous spirituality and science, is planning to resign at the end of this year's camp. Rock said he will not be involved with a project that directly implicates him in the desecration of a sacred place. He feels the camp is now working to appease a group the University has deeply offended with offers of "blood money." Uncompromising ethical stands such as Rock's are in contrast to Minnesota's decision to buy into a controversial plan that creates and exploits community division of a sovereign nation. The University rationalized its participation in the desecration of Mount Graham with the notion that its money could help the Apache people. Thus they chose to implement a failed 13-year-old plan by the University of Arizona to buy public relations. In 1991, the University of Arizona, amid international controversy over its insensitive handling of the Mount Graham affair, sought and bought, with $37,000 of taxpayers' money, the advice of the Booz Allen Hamilton consulting firm. The resulting report was so condemning of the university's handling of the issue that Arizona administrators suppressed parts of it from the general public and their own board of regents. To be specific, Arizona suppressed the very strategy now embraced by Minnesota. The Booz Allen Hamilton report recommended that the University of Arizona abandon the Mount Graham site. The alternative recommendation chosen by Arizona was to offer cash and programming to the San Carlos Apache Tribal Council and make "isolated outliers" of those members of the tribe who remained opposed to the telescope project. The report also noted that the programs "must be done in the context of a renewed commitment and sensitivity to Indian needs, not as payment to be allowed to stay on Mount Graham." The University of Arizona's implementation of this plan has failed to fool anyone, except for the few institutions that have over the last decade bought into the cash-strapped telescope project. On April 13, the San Carlos Apache tribe rejected the Northern Tribes Initiative, sponsored by the universities of Minnesota, Arizona and Virginia, calling it "deceiving and full of lies." At the same meeting, San Carlos Apache Chairwoman Kathy Kitcheyan distanced herself from a letter used by Minnesota astronomers to imply Apache consent. Whether the astronomy department forged the letter is not the issue. The chairwoman's few words spoke volumes about the disingenuousness of Minnesota's approach to the Apaches and their own American Indian community. This is a dangerous and often-traveled road this University has chosen to take in its colonial pursuits. We live in a world made cancerous by greed and inhumanity. But, as we stride down a path of healing and forgiveness, we need not cut off any legs. What Minnesota needs is "a framework for how to make ethical decisions," as Bruininks recently stated. What is also needed is an end to the lip-service that indigenous communities receive and a real commitment to respecting the spiritual values and scientific understandings of all peoples. We wonder if the convictions of people such as Rock or traditional Apaches are irreversibly lost on those Minnesota officials who have chosen a less honorable path in pursuit of research dollars and academic rankings. ---- Dwight Metzger is a member of the Mount Graham Coalition. Send comments to letters@mndaily.com Joel T. Helfrich is a history doctoral candidate and welcomes comments at helf0010@umn.edu Copyright c. 2004 The Minnesota Daily. --------- "RE: Senator wants Indian Affairs Head to Quit" --------- Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 08:41:05 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="ANDERSON UNDER FIRE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://news.yahoo.com/~/tribal_recognition_1 Senator Wants Indian Affairs Head to Quit May 5, 2004 By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - A Connecticut senator called for the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to resign Wednesday because he is no longer making critical tribal recognition decisions. BIA Assistant Secretary Dave Anderson, who co-founded a gaming company but left in 1996, has stepped aside from all recognition and gaming- related decisions to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. "There was no indication that this guy was going to get the job and take himself out of the picture," Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "He should not have accepted the job to begin with. I think he's got to resign." House members, during a Government Reform Committee hearing, also questioned Anderson's move, grilling BIA counselor Theresa Rosier about the duties Anderson still has. She said many of his responsibilities remain, including oversight of tribal schools, health care and other social issues. BIA spokeswoman Nedra Darling said Anderson could not be reached for comment on Dodd's remarks. She said Anderson "has a lot of work here to do that is very important to Indian Country." Meanwhile, the House Government Reform Committee (news - web sites) chairman said he is expanding the panel's investigation into the effects of big money gaming on the BIA's tribal recognition decisons. "This is not a transparent process and there is a lot of money switching hands," said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., said "procedural irregularities and murky standards at the BIA survive from administration to administration .. . as the potent power of undisclosed gaming investors drives the process to a predetermined outcome." Rosier said the BIA has added staff and is improving the recognition process. Tribes granted federal recognition can get federal funding for housing, health care and other programs and seek approval to have casino gaming. The gaming potential has raised concerns as casino investors have spent millions of dollars backing tribes' efforts to win federal recognition. Interior Department Inspector General Earl Devaney said efforts are under way to investigate American Indian gaming operations and the use of lobbyists to influence the recognition process. Copyright c. 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Copyright c. 2004 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. --------- "RE: BIA's model for change" --------- Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 08:11:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="INFORMATION RESOURCES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0510/feat-ea-05-10-04.asp BIA's model for change Despite Internet disconnect, Bureau CIO Brian Burns has a vision for better IT management BY Sarita Chourey May 10, 2004 As chief information officer at the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Brian Burns cannot escape one cold, hard fact: the bureau is not connected to the Internet. But that's not stopping him from radically restructuring information technology there. The bureau, working in close partnership with the Interior Department, is casting an imprint on the department's standardization framework. Consolidation has been hot since the Office of Management and Budget mandated it. But few are doing it like BIA. Enterprise information management is about multitasking and emphasizes practical solutions that are demonstrated as they are developed. It starts with a pilot test and moves to the architecture's next component, paying attention to how near-term issues coincide with long-term strategies. This is the main difference between enterprise information management and the traditional method of defining a solution and then applying it. Management is the glue, Burns said, that connects policy, process, projects and strategy to strengthen the architecture. He applied enterprise information management principles at the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services before taking the CIO spot at the bureau in 2002. He has likened an ailing IT infrastructure to diabetes. As Burns sees it, the role heredity plays in determining diabetes is similar to the way poor system performance determines subsequent funding levels. An insulin shot is like an injection of new technology. Enterprise information management is already helping BIA officials improve customer service, increase security and confidentiality, cut costs, provide automated IT management to implement policies and comply with federal regulations. Working in a vacuum Enterprise information management comes at a time when common tools such as the Internet are unavailable to the agency. BIA was disconnected from the Internet by a court order in December 2001 resulting from a long- running court battle regarding mismanaged American Indian assets. BIA is one of five Interior bureaus that is still off-line. Officials have dealt with consequent limitations while turning a proactive eye toward infrastructure and security as mandated by the court. As a result, BIA had to revert to older technologies that are not Internet-based. But there was a silver lining, according to Burns. "It made it easy for us to take the time and redesign the way we look at the Internet," he said. Refocusing on the Internet's presence played perfectly into Burns' goal to evolve BIA into a customer service-based organization, which is reflected in its yet-to-be relaunched Web site. "What we are trying to do with the Web site is [to view it... as a clearinghouse able to provide a variety of services, contact and information, so [users] will not necessarily rely on the federal government to provide information," Burns said. The site will enable constituents to help themselves. Burns is swimming against the tide. Randy Hite, the General Accounting Office's director for IT architecture and systems issues, acknowledged that few people at BIA are trained in enterprise architecture and that restructuring is a tough sell to agency leaders. One of the recommendations that officials from GAO and the CIO Council made was for CIOs to act as a marketer who actively sells concepts to managers by educating them about their importance. Hite and other CIOs face other hurdles, such as overcoming parochial interests that create stand-alone systems and recognizing that enterprise architecture is an investment in the future. The latter, he argued, is exacerbated by fluctuations in management. The average tenure of an appointee is less than two years. "The perception," Hite said, "is that there is this thing called [enterprise architecture], and it's an IT thing. But it's really not. It's an institutional decision-making tool. To be that, it has to be owned and embraced by those who lead the institution." Michael Tiemann, principal for enterprise architecture for AT&T Government Solutions, outlined two serious issues. First, enterprise architects typically have difficulty convincing upper- level managers that an enterprise architecture is more than an analysis that yields reports. Secondly, managers are more eager to buy hardware or invest in something concrete, because "they don't understand that doing [enterprise architecture], irrespective of the fact that it's the law [under the Clinger- Cohen Act], will help the long-term health and well- being of the organization." One reason for the misconception, Tiemann said, is that enterprise architecture leaders have not effectively communicated the uses and values of their work, despite many colorful analogies. Enterprise architects delight in ways to illustrate the need for such an architecture. Suppose an airplane needs repairs. "Do we send a repair team out on the runway to [fix] the wings?" Tiemann asked. "Heck no. We go through a rigorous analysis... to figure out what the impact will be on passengers and what that will do the plane as a whole before we make the changes." At BIA, enterprise information management has yielded several other innovations, some technology-oriented, others rippling across workforce management and business practices. The unifying theme, however, is that mission strategy and constituent services are the engine that drives the bureau. For example, an American Indian-owned company will host BIA's Web site remotely as part of a plan to increase contracts to American Indians. In June 2002, only 10 percent of the bureau's contracts were awarded to such companies. A year later, that number had jumped to 26 percent. Burns stressed the importance of focusing on business needs. "The key," he said, "is how do we do enterprise information management vs. system management or individual management?" Underlying the enterprise information management philosophy is a clear disdain for stand-alone systems. Today's systems must be interoperable. Burns said that instead of reactively patching up weaknesses, "we should be spending our IT resources to find better ways of managing business." The reasoning relates to customer service goals. Other examples of change include agency officials' movement toward relying on private-sector contractors. The goal is to keep operations stable but adaptable to changing budgets. Greater use of contractors has an added benefit: an infusion of new technologies and training. BIA officials are also seeing a trend toward leasing rather than purchasing computers and services. Add constantly changing managers, and "regardless of how many years someone has been with BIA, they are all in new positions," Burns said. "We have revitalized and revamped management." Burns and Interior CIO W. Hord Tipton started their jobs on the same day and have been coordinating their work closely since then. "We're learning from each other," Burns said. "We have a lot of things that we've brought to the table, but they're bringing a lot to the table, too." Several parts of enterprise information management are operational. Interior officials are also using aspects of BIA's command centers for network and security operations as a blueprint. The two centers house call centers, dispatch centers, video surveillance, security monitoring, consolidated help-desk support, network monitoring and incident response. They also protect against viruses and hackers. The bureau now has an automated asset collection process on the network to manage cybersecurity, which is critically important to complying with the court order. Another serious problem is a shortage of people trained in enterprise architecture. People in government and the private sector commonly grow into chief architect positions, Tiemann said, but he added that "a lot of these people are scrambling to learn the methodologies." Scott Bernard, director of enterprise architecture at DigitalNet, agreed. "The main challenge is executive-level buy-ins," he said. "That's what will make the difference between completing what used to be technical architecture and using the [federal enterprise architecture] to have more of a business and technology architecture. That's a huge difference. I think that you have to have a good enterprise architecture communication plan, you've got to tell the executives the value of enterprise architecture and how it helps with planning, decision-making and communication." Many enterprise architecture plans are still in their infancy, but Burns already has plenty of experience, so he does not need to be convinced. How many lessons from HHS could be applied to BIA? After all, the bureau comes with a host of unique challenges, such as how to structure the network to reach tribal offices that may lack Internet access. "I was able to leverage a lot of what I'd done in the past, and bring it forward over here, and because we had a focused mission here,... we were able to go and actually implement it a lot quicker," Burns said. Copyright c. 2004 FCW.com is a product of FCW Media Group, a division of 101communications LLC. --------- "RE: Lawmakers shocked by Navajo Living Conditions" --------- Date: Wed, 5 May 2004 08:26:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="REZ HOUSING" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=1838410&nav=HMO5Mp7K Some lawmakers vow to seek more federal funding for American Indians after touring the Navajo Reservation and seeing widespread poverty. May 5, 2004 "I've been to 48 or 50 different countries and that housing is comparable to the Third World," said U.S. Rep. Robert Ney, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Financial Services subcommittee on housing and community opportunity. "Those are the toughest living conditions I've seen." Ney and members of his subcommittee were on a recent tour of housing on the reservation before attending the first housing subcommittee hearing ever held on Native American land. The tour was arranged by U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., who was appalled at housing he saw in his 1st Congressional District after being elected about 18 months ago. "I visited Kaibito and saw three children living in a mud hut with their grandmother. Their stomachs were distended with dysentery. When I came home, I cried," Renzi added. "I thought, `How can I call myself a congressman and not do something about this?"' Experts say housing on reservations is substandard because of poverty and the lack of infrastructure like water, sewer and electrical service. Because much of the land is held in trust for the tribe by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, individuals don't own it and cannot use it for collateral to secure loans or mortgages. Because of the lack of employment, many tribal members cannot qualify for credit. Committee members said they will return to Washington and work for improved funding and other solutions. "It's unbelievable seeing this kind of poverty in America. It's like South Africa," said Maxine Waters, D-Calif., another member of the subcommittee. Copyright c. 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Copyright c. 2003 - 2004 WorldNow and KVOA. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Kickapoos seek help from BIA for Reservoir" --------- Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 23:38:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="REZ RESERVOIR" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/8609057.htm?1c Kickapoos seek help from Bureau of Indian Affairs for reservoir Associated Press May.7, 2004 HORTON, Kan. - The Kickapoo Tribe is turning to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to condemn some land for the tribe to build a reservoir for its water-starved reservation in northeast Kansas. The tribe asked the federal government for help in a letter Wednesday, after local authorities had not acted to use eminent domain, the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press reported Thursday. In the letter to Dave Anderson, the assistant secretary of Indian Affairs with the U.S. Department of the Interior, the tribe asked the bureau to condemn land for the project on its behalf. Anderson plans to meet with the tribe in Brown County on May 13. Damon Williams, general counsel for the tribe, called the visit "momentous." The Kickapoo Tribe wants to build a 475-acre reservoir, which it says would provide about 1.6 million gallons of water daily. Currently, the reservation gets its water supply from the Delaware River, which feeds a tiny lake. Persistent drought in northeast Kansas has caused frequent problems with water on the reservation, and the tribe has received federal grants in the past to truck in water for its 1,800 residents. Last August, the river ran dry, forcing the tribe to purchase 90 million gallons of water in three months. The tribe doesn't have the power to condemn property and has been trying to partner with the Nemaha-Brown Watershed Joint District No. 7 board to secure land for the project. Nemaha-Brown approved the Plum Creek Reservoir in 1994. But board members of Nemaha-Brown have not taken any action on the issue. The reservoir has come up at board meeting during the last year, but no vote has been taken. The tribe turned to the Bureau of Indian Affairs after the board again declined to take action. "The watershed's steadfast refusal to even consider the condemnation issue now serves as an effective denial of the tribe's right to sufficient water to improve and develop the Kickapoo Reservation," Steve Cadue, chairman of the tribe, wrote in his letter. The reservoir would affect more than 1,000 acres of non-tribal land. Board members have said they are reluctant to decide until the tribe has made good-faith negotiations with the landowners. Of the 12 affected landowners, nine have received firm offers on their land, the tribe said. However, some property owners said they have not been approached by the tribe and would not negotiate if they were. Federal funding guidelines require that eminent domain be available for the project to proceed. The tribe said it has been assured that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has the power to condemn land on behalf of an Indian tribe for a public use project. Nedra Darling, an Indian Affairs spokeswoman, said Anderson was unlikely to make a decision during next week's visit. "This is very early in the process," she said. Information from: St. Joseph News-Press Copyright c. 2004 Kansas City Star - Knight Rider. --------- "RE: Osage Membership Bill clears House Committee" --------- Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 23:38:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="OSAGE MEMBERSHIP" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=1233986&TP=getarticle Osage membership bill clears House committee By Chris Casteel The Oklahoman May 6, 2004 WASHINGTON - A House committee approved legislation Wednesday that would give the Osage Tribe the authority to set criteria for membership and establish its own form of government. Osage tribal leaders say the bill is necessary to allow membership to Osage descendants even if they don't own an interest in the tribe's mineral estate. A 1906 law said only those who inherit an interest could be members; that same law set the form of tribal government and limited participation to those with "headright" interests in the mineral estate. The House Resources Committee held a hearing in March in Tulsa on a bill sponsored by Rep. Frank Lucas to change the law. Osage Principal Chief Jim Gray told the committee in March that "the question of who the Osage Indians are - at least as a legal matter - is murky and fraught with uncertainty." Thousands of Osages are disenfranchised, he said, making the tribal government "unjust." Gray said, "With the ingenuity of our people, we will have a strong government that works for the people, not against them. This legislation would clarify that the form of government in the 1906 law is not mandatory, and that Osage Tribal government can adapt to changing times for the good of all its people." Jeanette Hanna, director of the Eastern Oklahoma Region for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, testified at the March hearing that the department supported the legislation because it would "resolve a long history of uncertainty among Indian people who can trace their family history to the Osage Tribe" and allow the tribal government to be the official representative of all Osage people. Lucas, R-Cheyenne, said his bill was approved by the House Resources Committee by voice vote and now goes to the full House. "We're one step closer to getting the bill signed into law, which will give the Osage people the same rights enjoyed by every other tribe in the U.S. - the right to determine their own membership and form of government," Lucas said. Copyright c. 2004, Produced by NewsOK. --------- "RE: Interfering Politicians keep Nipmuc waiting" --------- Date: Wed, 5 May 2004 08:26:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NIPMUC RECOGNITION" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.indiancountry.com/?1083695727 Interfering politicians keep Nipmuc waiting by: Jim Adams / Associate Editor / Indian Country Today May 4, 2004 SUTTON, Mass. - Political pressures have delayed a federal decision on Nipmuc Nation acknowledgement yet again, but it's not a story that critics of "the recognition process" would like to tell. R. Lee Fleming, director of the Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA), wrote leaders of the central Massachusetts applicants April 21 announcing another 45-day delay in meeting the deadline for a final decision, which he set last fall at May 1. The new deadline will be June 15. Two groups have pending petitions, the Nipmuc Nation of Sutton and the Webster-Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians. The Sutton-based nation actually received a positive finding in the last hours of the Clinton administration, only to have it suspended and then reversed by Bush appointees. Fleming's letter gave some insight into the obstacles facing OFA. It turned out that a substantial cause of the missed deadline was the time his short-handed office had to devote to answering its political attackers. The team working on the Nipmuc(k) petitions, wrote Fleming, previously prepared the positive finding for the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation of Kent, Conn. They were swamped by the furious response from Connecticut's politicians, which included a Congressional request for an Inspector General investigation. In Fleming's description, "the Department [of Interior] received Congressional inquiries concerning the Schaghticoke record which required OFA, in particular the Schaghticoke/Nipmuc(k) team, to prepare responses for the Department in addressing these concerns. In addition, several Congressmen requested an Inspector General (IG) investigation of the Schaghticoke decision, and the Secretary of the Interior directed that an immediate IG investigation take place to resolve these concerns. This unexpected aftermath of the Schaghticoke final determination interrupted the Nipmuc(k) team's work since March 2, 2004." Fleming said his staff also diverted energy into preparing for Congressional hearings. (He declined to observe that a main question at these hearings is why it takes so long to process recognition petitions.) "Some of the Nipmuc(k) team," he wrote, " were required to spend time preparing comments and testimony for Congressional hearings of March 31, 2004, April 1, 2004, April 21, 2004, and May 5, 2004. Time also is being spent on follow-up questions to these hearings." In addition, he said, two team members were "unexpectedly deposed" in discovery proceedings in a lawsuit over recognition of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe on Cape Cod, Mass. And finally, he said, a court-imposed timetable for the petition of Connecticut's Golden Hill Paugussetts was putting pressure on OFA's peer review process, which included the Nipmuc(k) team. As a result, Fleming once more switched deadlines for the Nipmuc petitioners, who have not gone to court, with another tribe, which had. Last fall, he leapfrogged the Schaghticoke petition, which was under a timetable set by a federal judge in Hartford. One result of the April 21 letter is that the Golden Hill Paugussett tribe based in Bridgeport will hear its final determination about a week before the Nipmuc(k)s. "I'm speechless," said Nipmuc Nation Chief Walter Vickers in an official statement. "On top of all else, now we have the litigation involving other tribes' petitions continuing to penalize us - just because we are one of few tribes not to bring suit against the BIA for not meeting its own established deadlines. Now we will review quickly all options; and decide on a course of action in a few days." One of the options would be to follow the example of other tribes suing under the Administrative Procedures Act, which requires the federal bureaucracy to provide timely decisions. Weighing against that, however, is the fear that a suit would introduce further delays beyond the extended deadline. Fleming's letter gives a picture of the recognition process that is almost the exact opposite of the criticism loudly voiced by Connecticut politicians and echoed by their contacts in the national press. In the view of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, tribal applicants have been artificially assembled by financial backers seeking lucrative casinos, who use political influence to push petitions through a compliant BIA. In a fairly representative statement issued in response to the Schaghticoke recognition, he called the BIA, "this rogue agency, out of control, lawless, ready to twist and distort logic and law in reaching a result driven by money and politics." This rhetoric appears to have personally offended senior officials, not only at the BIA, but also in the office of Interior Secretary Gale Norton. Interior Department spokesman Dan Dubray has taken the unusual step of personally defending the BIA against Blumenthal's attacks. The recently appointed Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs David Anderson has recused himself from the Nipmuc(k) petitions and in fact from all recognition decisions because he was in a business partnership with Minnesota businessman Lyle Berman, whose company Lakes Entertainment, Inc., has provided undisclosed millions for the Nipmuc Nation petition. (The cost of research and legal fees for other successful recognition efforts in New England has been said by tribal leaders to reach $10 million.) Deputy Assistant Secretary Aurene Martin has announced she will make the Nipmuc(k) decisions. In testimony April 21 before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Martin emphasized, "When the Department acknowledges an Indian tribe, it is acknowledging that an inherent sovereign continues to exist. The Department is not `granting' sovereign status or powers to the group, nor creating a tribe made up of Indian descendants." The committee was examining a bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R.-Colo., to speed up the recognition process. Although Martin agreed with the call for more resources for OFA and for speedier decisions, she criticized the bill for, in the Department's view, loosening existing criteria for federal recognition. "It is of the utmost importance," she said, "that thorough and deliberate evaluations occur before the Department acknowledges a group's tribal status, which carries significant immunities and privileges, or denies a group Federal acknowledgement as an Indian tribe." Copyright c. 2004 Indian Country Today. --------- "RE: Urban Indian Women at higher risk for HIV" --------- Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 08:27:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="HIV RISK" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=4416 Urban Indian women at higher risk for HIV Choctaw researcher cites elevated rate of assault NEW YORK NY Sam Lewin May 10, 2004 A disturbing study, partially researched by a Choctaw woman, indicates that American Indian women are increasingly at risk to contract the AIDS virus, and says one reason is the high rate of physical and sexual trauma the women endure. The study focused solely on Native women in the New York City area, which in the past decade jumped ahead of Tulsa and Los Angeles in containing the largest urban Indian population in the country. It also raised the warning that HIV rates collected by government officials may actually be higher than reported. The reason is that three percent of the women in the study reported being HIV-positive, one percent refused to answer questions about HIV and seven percent said they did not know if they had the disease or not. Over half of the women surveyed, 51 percent, said they had been physically or sexually abused. Ninety-one percent of the women, all living in New York or New Jersey, had engaged in at least one risky sexual experience in their lifetime, and an additional seven- percent had injected drugs. "This is particularly distressing as it indicates that almost all participants could have been exposed to HIV infection at some point in their lives, seemingly belying the majority's reports of being at no or low risk for HIV," wrote University of Washington professors Jane Simoni and Karina Walters, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation. "Of even greater concern, however, is that 58 percent had participated in at least one lifetime high-risk behavior such as sex with a stranger or an HIV- positive individual, and, therefore, may have been even more likely to be exposed to HIV." Simoni and Walters believe HIV risk for Indian women is also because as a group they are at such great risk to be assaulted. Their assault rate is 30 times higher than it is for black males, the group with the second- highest assault victimization rate. "American Indian women are the group at highest risk for assault in our society and this accelerates their risk for adverse health consequences," said Simoni. Sixty percent of the Indian population now lives in urban areas, and eleven percent of the women in the study said they had lived on a reservation or tribal land in at least the last year. "We need to see that any future HIV infection and prevention messages and programs directed at Indians include assessments of physical trauma, as well as drug use and risk taking," Walters said. Another alarming indication from the study: Walters and Simoni say that because of the government's historic poor treatment of indigenous peoples, many tribal members are suspicious of health care workers. Of the women surveyed, an astonishing 36 percent agreed or strongly agreed that AIDS is another form of germ warfare against Indians. Not all the news is grim. "Despite the high rates of trauma and other negative findings, there are a number of healthy behaviors going on in Indian communities. Condom use is high and so is awareness of HIV," Walters said. "We need to focus on the strengths of the Indian community and are interested in knowing what protects people against risk factors. We want to know who does well and why, and the roles that such factors as a person's strength of Indian identity, traditional healing practices and community involvement has in prevention." The authors of the study say they are currently analyzing data relating to Indian men. Native American Times is Copyright c. 2004 Oklahoma Indian Times, Inc. --------- "RE: King Ranch as new home for White Buffalo" --------- Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 08:41:05 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="BLACKFEET TRIBE " http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.goldentrianglenews.com/~/glacier_reporter/news/news2.txt Tribe designates King Ranch as new home for White Buffalo By John McGill Glacier Reporter Editor May 5, 2004 WBYDC Acting Director Georgiana Reevis and members of her staff met Thursday, April 29, with Blackfeet Tribal Chairman Jay St. Goddard and Councilman Clifford Tailfeathers to announce their plans to turn the tribal King Ranch near Heart Butte into a rehabilitation facility for youth. "We've already trained six juvenile officers," Reevis explained, "and we can hire a counselor, a matron and a cook." Reevis and her administrative assistant, Stephanie Munro, explained the White Buffalo Youth Detention Center is working with tribal elders to create a system in which youthful offenders can benefit from the knowledge and wisdom of the tribe's most respected members. The elders would earn stipends for their work, they said, and kids would be shown aspects of ranching and Blackfeet culture to help them work through their problems. "Some elders from Canada are now working to bring down the sweat lodge," Reevis said, adding the focus of the program will be culture as part of a process of prevention. The tribal ranch will serve some 32 young people to start, she said. In addition to culture, she said Jay Dusty Bull will offer GED classes to kids, making the ranch another center besides the White Buffalo Home where young people can get on track with their education. "We're really excited about it," said Reevis. "We started outdoor activities about two months ago, and when Stephanie was visiting with Jay, he said if we had a use for the ranch he'd give it to us." Staffers at WBYDC are working to write grants to renovate some of the structures at the ranch, and the facility will be used by both Tribal Health and the Treatment Center, as well as Juvenile Justice. Copyright c. 2004 Glacier Reporter. --------- "RE: Donated Houses have Lead, Asbestos" --------- Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 08:41:05 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="DISCLOSURE ISSUES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/8599847.htm Tribal officials say donated houses have lead, asbestos CURT WOODWARD Associated Press May 6, 2004 BISMARCK, N.D. - Tribal officials trying to cure a housing crunch worry about health risks and the cost of cleaning up donated Air Force houses laced with asbestos and lead. Since the late 1990s, the Turtle Mountain reservation in Rolette County has received more than 100 homes through a program that redistributes housing from Air Force bases. Most of those houses have lead paint on the walls and asbestos-based glue under the floors - expensive problems that were not disclosed to tribal officials, said Richard Schroeder, the Turtle Mountain Housing Authority's business manager. "They painted a pretty picture," Schroeder said. "If somebody told you `I'm giving you a house,' well, you'd take it." The California-based nonprofit group Walking Shield American Indian Society helps distribute the surplus homes from Air Force bases to American Indian tribes. Walking Shield has sent about 900 homes to American Indian tribes in the Dakotas, Montana and Minnesota since 1996, director Dennis Wynott said. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa has about 11,800 members living on and around the reservation in north central North Dakota. A population boom has stretched housing thin, making the donated homes look attractive, said Andy Leverdure, the tribe's housing authority director. But the tribe has spent thousands of dollars on renovating the air base homes, which were built in the 1960s, he said. Schroeder said repairs for 50 houses cost the tribe about $20,000. The renovations include repainting or stripping areas with lead-based paint and installing new floors to seal off floors contaminated with asbestos. The housing authority is searching for federal grants that will help pay for more repairs, Leverdure said. "It's just like in the 1800s, when they were giving smallpox blankets to the Indian people. Just a different kind of blanket," he said. People living in homes that have not been cleaned up, may not even be aware of the health risks, Schroeder said. Federal officials attending a regional conference on lead problems Wednesday in Bismarck said they are trying to figure out if disclosure rules were followed in the housing transactions. They are not sure if the nonprofit group ever took legal ownership of the homes, which could make it responsible to pass on the information about lead and asbestos. "We, as the feds, are unsure how the dissemination of information is taking place," said Howard Kutzer, a regional environmental officer for the U.S. Department of Housing and urban Development. Wynott said Walking Shield finds reservations to take the military homes but leaves the disclosures about hazardous materials to tribes and the military. "It's from government to government," he said. "We have no possession of the homes or anything like that." But Kevin Nelson, a civil engineer at the Minot Air Force Base, said homes donated to Walking Shield became the group's property, along with documents detailing the existence of lead and asbestos. "Those Walking Shield guys should be careful what they say," Nelson said. "They've been in the process of doling them out to whatever locations they want to. We don't have a dog in the fight." Copyright c. 2004 Duluth News Tribune. --------- "RE: American Indian and Alaska Native Education" --------- Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 23:34:05 -0700 From: "Chris Milda (_Akimel O`odham_)" Subj: Executive Order American Indian and Alaska Native Education Mailing List: News and Information http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040430-10.html For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary April 30, 2004 Executive Order American Indian and Alaska Native Education By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to recognize the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students consistent with the unique political and legal relationship of the Federal Government with tribal governments, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Purpose. The United States has a unique legal relationship with Indian tribes and a special relationship with Alaska Native entities as provided in the Constitution of the United States, treaties, and Federal statutes. This Administration is committed to continuing to work with these Federally recognized tribal governments on a government-to- government basis, and supports tribal sovereignty and self-determination. It is the purpose of this order to assist American Indian and Alaska Native students in meeting the challenging student academic standards of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110) in a manner that is consistent with tribal traditions, languages, and cultures. This order builds on the innovations, reforms, and high standards of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, including: stronger accountability for results; greater flexibility in the use of Federal funds; more choices for parents; and an emphasis on research-based instruction that works. Sec. 2. Interagency Working Group. There is established an Interagency Working Group on American Indian and Alaska Native Education (Working Group) to oversee the implementation of this order. (a) The Working Group's members shall consist exclusively of the heads of the executive branch departments, agencies, or offices listed below: (i) the Department of Education; (ii) the Department of the Interior; (iii) the Department of Health and Human Services; (iv) the Department of Agriculture; (v) the Department of Justice; (vi) the Department of Labor; and (vii) such other executive branch departments, agencies, or offices as the Co-Chairs of the Working Group may designate. A member of the Working Group may designate, to perform the Working Group functions of the member, an employee of the member's department, agency, or office who is either an officer of the United States appointed by the President, or a full-time employee serving in a position with pay equal to or greater than the minimum rate payable for GS-15 of the General Schedule. The Working Group shall be led by the Secretaries of Education and the Interior, or their designees under this section, who shall serve as Co- Chairs. (b) The function of the Working Group is to oversee the implementation of this order. The Working Group shall, within 90 days of the date of this order, develop a Federal interagency plan that recommends initiatives, strategies, and ideas for future interagency actions that promote the purpose, as stated in section 1, of this order. In carrying out its activities under this order, the Working Group may consult with repre- sentatives of American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and organizations, in conformity with Executive Order 13175 of November 6, 2000, and with the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE). Any such consultations shall be for the purpose of obtaining information and advice concerning American Indian and Alaska Native education and shall be conducted in a manner that seeks individual advice and does not involve collective judgment or consensus advice or deliberation. Sec. 3. Study and Report. The Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Working Group, shall conduct a multi-year study of American Indian and Alaska Native education with the purpose of improving American Indian and Alaska Native students' ability to meet the challenging student academic standards of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. (a) The study shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the compilation of comprehensive data on the academic achievement and progress of American Indian and Alaska Native students toward meeting the challenging student academic standards of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; (ii) identification and dissemination of research-based practices and proven methods in raising academic achievement and, in particular, reading achievement, of American Indian and Alaska Native students; (iii) assessment of the impact and role of native language and culture on the development of educational strategies to improve academic achievement; (iv) development of methods to strengthen early childhood education so that American Indian and Alaska Native students enter school ready to learn; and (v) development of methods to increase the high school graduation rate and develop pathways to college and the workplace for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The Secretary of Education shall develop an agenda, including proposed timelines and ongoing activities, for the conduct of the study, and shall make that agenda available to the public on the Internet. (b) The Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Working Group, shall issue a report to the President that shall: (i) provide the latest data available from the study; (ii) comprehensively describe the educational status and progress of American Indian and Alaska Native students with respect to meeting the goals outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and any other student achievement goals the Secretary of Education or the Secretary of the Interior may deem necessary; (iii) report on proven methods for improving American Indian and Alaska Native student academic achievement; and (iv) update the Federal interagency plan outlined in section 2(b) of this order. Sec. 4. Enhancement of Research Capabilities of Tribal-Level Educational Institutions. The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Interior shall consult with the entities set forth in section 2(a) of this order and tribally controlled colleges and universities to seek ways to develop and enhance the capacity of tribal governments, tribal universities and colleges, and schools and educational programs serving American Indian and Alaska Native students and communities to carry out, disseminate, and implement education research, as well as to develop related partnerships or collaborations with non-tribal universities, colleges, and research organizations. Sec. 5. National Conference. The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Interior, in collaboration with the Working Group and Federal, State, tribal, and local government representatives, shall jointly convene a forum on the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to identify means to enhance communica-tion, collaboration, and cooperative strategies to improve the education of American Indian and Alaska Native students attending Federal, State, tribal, and local schools. Sec. 6. Administration. The Department of Education shall provide appropriate administrative services and staff support to the Working Group. With the consent of the Department of Education, other participating agencies may provide admini-stra-tive support to the Working Group, to the extent permitted by law and consistent with their statutory authority. Sec. 7. Termination. The Working Group established under section 2 of this order shall terminate not later than 5 years from the date of this order, unless extended by the President. Sec. 8. Consultation. The Secretary of Education and Secretary of the Interior shall consult the Attorney General as appropriate on the implementation of this order, to ensure that such implementation affords the equal protection of the laws required by the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. Sec. 9. General Provisions. (a) This order is intended only to improve the internal management of the executive branch and is not intended to, and does not, create any right, benefit, or trust responsibility, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or equity, by a party against the United States, its agencies or instrumen-talities, its officers or employees, or any other person. (b) Executive Order 13096 of August 6, 1998, is revoked. GEORGE W. BUSH THE WHITE HOUSE, April 30, 2004. # # # --------- "RE: Trail of Tears flowed through Hopkinsville" --------- Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 08:11:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="JACKSON LIED" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/8629520.htm Trail of Tears flowed through Hopkinsville BERRY CRAIG Associated Press May 10, 2004 HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. - Chief Whitepath and the Cherokees helped Gen. Andrew Jackson beat the Creek Indians in battle. "We don't know if Whitepath was sorry about that later," said Midge Durbin, a Hopkinsville history enthusiast. When Jackson became president, he made the Cherokees and other eastern tribes move to Oklahoma. Buried in Hopkinsville, Whitepath was one of about 4,000 Cherokees who perished on the notorious Trail of Tears in 1838-1839. He was 77. The graves of Whitepath; Fly Smith, another tribal leader; and two unknown Cherokees are preserved at the Trail of Tears Park. "We still have the original four limestone markers," said Durbin, a park volunteer. "We also have headstones and life-size bronze statues of Whitepath and Smith." Backed by Jackson and approved by Congress, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced tribes who lived east of the Mississippi River to move to Western lands. Jackson's successor, President Martin Van Buren, finished the "Indian removal." The Cherokees were the last American Indians to go to Oklahoma, then the Indian Territory. They named their grueling 800-mile trek the "Trail of Tears." Hopkinsville was a Kentucky stop for the Cherokees, who were driven from their homelands in Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia. Guarded by soldiers, more than 16,000 Cherokees traveled the trail on foot, astride horses or in wagons. Many were shoeless. Food, shelter, blankets and warm clothing were in short supply. Indians died almost daily; they were buried along the trail where they succumbed, mostly to exposure, exhaustion or illness. Two dozen years before, Whitepath, who lived in Georgia, and the Cherokees were Jackson's allies against the Creeks, who were feared warriors. "You've heard the expression, I'll be there if the Creeks don't rise? That's where it came from," Durbin said. Jackson's white and Cherokee troops decisively whipped the Creeks at the battle of Horseshoe Bend, Ala., in 1814. Before Jackson attacked, Whitepath and Chief John Ross reportedly swam across the Tallapoosa River and stole the Creeks' canoes, preventing the enemy's escape. Grouped in bands of about 1,200, the Cherokees arrived in Hopkinsville in the fall of 1838. The park is at the old Cherokee campsite on Little River, a tiny stream that meanders through the Christian County seat. "The Indians were a source of great curiosity and interest to the citizens," Charles Mayfield Meacham wrote in his 1930 History of Christian County from Oxcart to Airplane. Smith, who had served on the Cherokee council, "was very old, broken in spirit, and travel worn," Meacham wrote. Whitepath, too, was "old and feeble and much exhausted by travel." The Trail of Tears Park, which includes a 160-year-old restored log cabin with Cherokee history exhibits, also is host to an intertribal gathering every September. Many Cherokees attend. Some of their ancestors came through Hopkinsville on the Trail of Tears, Durbin said. Historians say the Trail of Tears was like a death march for the American Indians. "The suffering of the Cherokees was beyond description," one white eyewitness wrote. Another said, "Even aged females, apparently nearly ready to drop into the grave, were traveling with heavy burdens attached to their backs, sometimes on frozen ground, and sometimes in muddy streets with no covering on their feet." Copyright c. 1996-2004 Lexington Herald-Leader - Knight Ridder. --------- "RE: Yavapai Nation open to Big Business" --------- Date: Sun, 09 May 2004 21:54:57 -0700 From: "Chris Milda (_Akimel O`odham_)" Subj: Tribe open to big business: New competition concerns FH Mailing List: News and Information http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic//0419sr-marketing19Z8.html Tribe open to big business New competition concerns FH Laura Dobbins The Arizona Republic Apr. 19, 2004 12:00 AM FOUNTAIN HILLS - Seeking to diversify its economy, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is opening the reservation to outside businesses. For neighboring Fountain Hills, this effort could be a double-edged sword. The town relies heavily on sales taxes, which produce 64 percent of Fountain Hills' general funds. Most of these revenues have been generated through building permits and retail sales from the Four Peaks Plaza along Shea Boulevard. But commercial development hasn't been an easy sell in Fountain Hills. Fort McDowell, on the other hand, has sought big business aggressively. How it all plays out economically for Fountain Hills is hard to say. "On the one hand, business on the reservation could draw traffic into Fountain Hills that normally wouldn't drive by," Vice Mayor Rick Melendez said. "On the other hand, we don't want to lose potential revenue to our neighbors. It's something we need to think about." Securing a Target in Fountain Hills took two referendum elections. A 1999 election upheld the Fountain Hills Town Council's decision to amend the General Plan at Four Peaks Plaza, from a business park to retail. In 2000, the Town Council's decision to rezone the site from light industrial to commercial retail was upheld. Despite its rocky start, Target has been one of Fountain Hills' biggest economic boosts. The retailer helped launch Four Peaks Plaza, a 36.6-acre retail development southwest of Saguaro and Shea boulevards, in 2002. Of the 160 employees working at Target, 115 were hired from town, said Brie Heath, a spokeswoman for Target Stores. Sale totals are not disclosed by Target, but the retailer has contributed a large percentage of the $6.4 million sales tax revenues for fiscal 2003-04, said Julie Ghetti, the town's financial director. Other development It took developer Vladimir Hulpach five years to persuade town officials to let him build a $35 million Hilton in Fountain Hills, just east of the Scottsdale border at Shea and Palisades boulevards. "Even though the project could net up to $23.5 million, including $577, 000 is sales taxes, over a five-year period," Hulpach said. The town approved the project last year but tagged Hulpach with a $371, 567 penalty to get around a hillside protection easement. The 60-acre property that will include 196 resort rooms, 71 townhouses, two restaurants, a spa and 24,000 square feet of conference space was originally zoned for a resort. But to make the project more marketable, villas or town homes must be built first, spurring Hulpach to amend the original zoning and forcing him to make concessions. Hulpach also had to agree to fines of $50,000 annually up to 10 years if the resort isn't built once the villas start selling. Opposition came mainly from neighbors who didn't want their scenic views, and those town officials who oppose major development of any kind. Expanded tribal plans Meantime, Fort McDowell recently broke ground on a 247-room hotel, which will feature a 23,000-square-foot convention center and ballroom. It should be completed by October 2005. The Indian community also is building a $3.2 million recreational vehicle park with 150 spaces, and a clubhouse, swimming pool and spa. Located south of the casino, it should be finished by October. The casino, nearly a decade old, has turned life around for the tribe, bringing in nearly $50 million in profits its first year. Today, the casino has provided enough revenues to launch other moneymaking projects, such as the resort. Future ideas include adding a food market and art shops along the Beeline Highway that runs past Fort McDowell. The tribe also plans to expand its popular We-Ko-Pah Golf Club by 18 holes. No date has been set. Tribal Council members would like to see a Wal-Mart one day. "We are always open to new possibilities. But until our current projects are completed, we are just dreaming out loud," Tribal Council member Owen Doka said. It is an idea the big-box retailer is open to. "We're always looking for different stores in the West, and Fort McDowell is no exception," said Pete Kanelos, spokesman representing West Coast Wal-Marts. Reach the reporter at laura.dobbins@scottsdale republic.com or (602) 444-6849. --------- "RE: YELLOW BIRD: Visitors want glimpse of Indian Life" --------- Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 08:33:24 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="YELLOW BIRD: RESPECTFUL VISITORS" http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/news/opinion/8582720.htm DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Serbian visitors want, and get, glimpse of Indian life May 4, 2004 On occasion, I am called on to talk about American Indian culture and to tour reservations with people from other lands. I enjoy that responsibility because I can provide a perspective of Indian people from an Indian person's point of view. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I traveled with two journalists who are visiting the Herald from Serbia: Goran Djordjevic and his interpreter, Drasko Nikodijevic. We went to the Spirit Lake reservation near Devils Lake, N.D. They were good companions for those three days, and I believe the people at Spirit Lake enjoyed their interaction with them. During these encounters with people from other lands, I find that I learn, too. And I always am amazed at how many things we have in common. Indian and Serbian people are thousands of miles apart, yet we have some cultural ways and history in common. It is my hope that visits such as this with people of foreign lands will bring understanding. Upon arrival at Fort Totten, N.D., on Friday, we toured a small part of Sully's Hill National Game Preserve. Part of it is closed, so we saw only geese and black cormorants on an arm of Devils Lake that elbows its way into part of the hill. Some of the birds sat on dead limbs with heads bent looking into the water, or hovered on a branch with wings outstretched drying themselves. They are a common bird and I always enjoy seeing the growing number on the lake. From there, we drove to the old Fort Totten that sits in the middle of the Spirit Lake reservation - a place where children from this reservation and the Turtle Mountain, N.D., reservatio were assigned to dorms and went to schools in the buildings left by the military years ago. The fort is completely enclosed with a metal fence so high that it looks like the prison in Bismarck, only there are no rolls of barbed wire on top. Then it was off to see the buffalo. The furry animals were cooperatively close to the fence and looked as tame as cows, but we knew they weren't. Right next to the buffalo pasture is one of the ceremonial places for the Dakota. Two men conduct ceremonies for the people in this small valley. One of them invited us in and spent the next two hours with the Serbians explaining, through the interpreter, the ceremony and culture. He walked with them to see the sweat lodge and continue to explain the Dakota way to them. The next day we returned, and Drasko and Goran helped build the sweat fire. They pitched in and helped clean the area, too. After a cookout, the Serbians and community went into the sweat. It was uncomfortably hot for most of us. After the sweat, the Serbian visitors also were invited to an evening ceremony. We were tired from the fresh air and hot sweat. It was almost 2 a.m. before we finally got back to the hotel. In all these new things, I was pleased that our visitors were respectful, listened and tried to follow protocol. They were teased a bit and took it with good humor. Each of the men was given a gift by the spiritual leader. We were fortunate that some of the spiritual leaders on the reservation were willing to explain the Dakota ways to Djordjevic and Nikodijevic. That helps bring understanding between different cultures. This keen interest in Native people from people of other countries always amazes me, because in the seven years I have lived in Grand Forks, I always am surprised to find how few people know how many tribes live in North Dakota. Even more difficult, it seems, is to name a few of the tribes here. I used to proudly tell people that this is Indian country - the Dakotas, Montana and Minnesota. There are 32 tribes in these states. Now I'm wondering if they knew what that meant. That is basic information about the tribes in North Dakota and Minnesota. But how many non-Natives have been on a reservation or attended a powwow or celebration, and how many have some understanding of the culture? Yes, I know most people know about the poverty and alcoholism. But how much history and good information do they have? These two Serbians, who saw the richness of the culture, said they wouldn't soon forget their inspiring meeting with the Dakotas and the cultural events. For that, the extra effort on my part was worthwhile. ----- Yellow Bird writes columns Tuesday and Saturday. Reach her at 780-1228, (800) 477-6572 ext. 228 or dyellowbird@gfherald.com. Copyright c. 2004 Grand Forks Herald/Grand Forks, ND. --------- "RE: Lifeline Campaign targets Tribal Areas" --------- Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 08:41:05 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="REZ PHONES" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/~/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_2863715,00.html Lifeline campaign targets tribal areas By Jeff Smith, Rocky Mountain News May 6, 2004 Qwest Communications said Wednesday it is launching a public service campaign to promote a program to help families on American Indian reservations receive affordable phone service. The Lifeline/Link-up programs provide basic local telephone service for as low as $1 a month as well as installation credits. Qwest spokesman Michael Dunne said the Denver telco has had the program in its 14-state region since June 2000 but that both Qwest and the Federal Communications Commission see the need to promote the service more heavily because many tribal areas remain underserved. Dunne said Qwest doesn't track how many households are using the program now. The FCC issued an order last week expanding the eligibility criteria for low-income telephone programs. In the order, the FCC cited Smith Bagley, a wireless carrier, for its work addressing the tribal market. Smith Bagley, according to the FCC, signed up 14,000 new Lifeline subscribers by doing on-site advertising on Indian reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Copyright c. 2004 Rocky Mountain News, The E.W. Scripps Co. --------- "RE: New Money found for 'Language Nests'" --------- Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 08:41:05 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="LANGUAGE PROGRAMS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=nwt-langnest05052004 New money found for 'language nests' May 5 2004 YELLOWKNIFE - A program to introduce aboriginal children to their language and culture in the N.W.T. is getting a new lease on life. 'The primary function is to make sure that young people are comfortable in their own culture and heritage' - Charles Dent The territorial government has announced it has found $900,000 to keep the "nests" program alive. It started as a pilot project three years ago, but ran out of money in March. The preschool immersion program features "language nests" modelled on a program that successfully revitalized the Maori language in New Zealand. Young children learn their language and traditional skills with teachers and elders in their community. On Tuesday education minister Charles Dent announced the new spending, saying it would continue into the future. He says funding is scarce in the territory right now, but the government can't afford to let go of this program. "It may help to save some of the aboriginal languages but the primary function is to make sure that young people are comfortable in their own culture and heritage," he says. "Because knowing oneself is important to be successful in the learning setting." Members of the legislative assembly unanimously supported a reinstatement of the project. Cate Sills, executive director of the N.W.T. Literacy Council, says the council was disappointed when the government didn't renew the program this year. She's glad to see it back so soon. "The link between language and culture is... you can't distinguish between the two, language is culture," she says. "So it's really important that there be some public investment so the communities can build capacity to try to reclaim their language." The money will be used to hire and train teachers and buy learning aids. The program will be available in 18 Northwest Territories communities. Copyright c. 2004 CBC. --------- "RE: Infused with Tradition" --------- Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 15:07:15 -0400 (EDT) From: "Kahente Horn-Miller" Subj: Article - Infused with Tradition Mailing List: Frostys AmerIndian Infused with tradition Michaelee Lazore has turned a hobby into her livelihood, making bath and body products with Indian themes SARAH DOUGHERTY Freelance Monday, May 10, 2004 At school on the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve near Cornwall, Ont., Michaelee Lazore was a math and science whiz. When it came time for university, engineering seemed a good fit. After graduating, she worked designing traffic interchanges and storm sewers, guard rails and highways. But Lazore soon realized something was missing. "It lacked the creative aspect," she said of being a civil engineer. "And when I was at the computer, I was constantly looking at the clock." Today, Lazore has completely switched gears and turned a hobby into her new livelihood. Her company, Sequoia Native Arts, produces bath and body products with Indian themes. Lazore sells them from her recently opened store, on the Web and at home parties. At the Sequoia store in Kahnawake, south of Montreal, Lazore is adding finishing touches to her displays. She opened in March in a new commercial complex, where they are still putting in the sidewalks. But her wooden shelves are already full of multicoloured soaps and bath bombs, lotions and lip balms, teas and candles. Her creations include Brother of the Sun soap. The rising sun motif on the bar is coloured with red palm oil. The name is a nod to a Mohawk prayer of thanks. Other products, such as candles, contain sweetgrass, sage and cedar, ingredients burned in traditional Mohawk "smudging" or cleansing ceremonies. Lazore has had a while to perfect everything in her store: during her five years as an engineer, she experimented on the side with soaps and bath bombs - blocks that fizz up and release a fragrance when plopped into the bath. "My mother had tried out making soaps, so she had some molds and ingredients," said Lazore, a lanky 31-year-old with an easy smile. As for the bath bombs, she researched recipes on the Internet, a resource tool she also uses to develop other products. Lazore's first attempts to create bath bombs failed. They got stuck in the molds. Or went flat. Or fizzed up too much. A neighbour almost got stuck in his jacuzzi after a bath bomb saturated with oil greased up the tub. Lazore gave away her botched batches at a birthday party for her daughter Leilani. Then parents started asking for them. Encouraged, Lazore continued experimenting. In December 2002, she felt confident enough to offer some of her products - which by then included face scrubs and lip balms - at a craft show in Kahnawake. "It surprised me how well I did," she said of the fair. "I wasn't sure someone would pay that much for soap." (The bars were $5.) Lazore exhibited at other craft shows and kept at her experiments in her spare time, all the while working her day job as an engineer. In January 2003, Lazore decided to take her fledgling business to the next level. She went looking for funding from the economic development agency in Kahnawake, Tewatohnhi'Saktha. The agency receives money from Industry Canada to help residents start up and run businesses. Completing a 13-week course in entrepreneurship is a prerequisite to applying for assistance. Lazore took the course in the evenings, learning how to do market research and prepare a business plan. "A lot of participants have grand ideas of what being an entrepreneur is all about, that they will easily make a lot of money," said Barbara McComber, director of small-business services at the agency. "We know that's not the case." Lazore's business plan included selling as a wholesaler, at craft shows and home parties. Opening a retail outlet was not originally part of the picture. Last August, Lazore started organizing home parties in her community. Katsitsaronkwas Jacobs, a friend of Lazore's, hosted a party for about 10 people. She wanted to support a friend and local entrepreneur instead of buying from a large chain. Jacobs also appreciated knowing exactly what went into Sequoia products. "At a home party, you can sit down and she can explain the products," she said. "When you buy off the shelf, you don't realize what's in it." The absence of heavy perfumes and animal fats in Sequoia products was appealing, Jacobs said. The home parties gave Lazore time to gauge the popularity of her products. They also gave her a track record and persuaded her a store could be viable. "The fact that she was already in business and had invested a lot of time and her own money spoke well for her," said McComber, whose agency extended two loans to Lazore for about $47,000. Lazore was required to put in $10,000 of her own money and offer her car as collateral to obtain the loans. Aboriginal Business Canada, another program of Industry Canada that assists aboriginal entrepreneurs, made a non-repayable contribution of $38, 000. Lazore has used the financial assistance to pay rent and utilities, hire a full-time sales clerk and part-time production assistant, buy raw materials, renovate her store and pay for Web-site maintenance. Until now, she has done her own labelling, packaging and brochures using her home computer. She is currently redesigning her labels with professional help. Lazore also sells off a Web site she designed herself using instructions aimed at kids, which she found on the Internet. Most of her time is now taken up with production, which she still does at home. Lazore hopes to add other products soon, including a line of mini- products for kids (9-year-old Leilani suggested this), natural makeup and massage oils. She'd eventually like to open other stores and add home parties in Montreal. Aside from her own kitchen pots and utensils and molds she purchased at a dollar store, Lazore's only investment in production equipment has been more buckets for soap making, Pyrex measuring cups for candles and an industrial-size whisk. These low-tech methods are a long way from the computer-assisted design she did as an engineer. But Lazore is thrilled with her career switch. Not only does being in charge of her time make it easier to care for Leilani, her new job doesn't feel quite like a job. "Today, I'll be working a 12-hour day, but it doesn't feel like it," Lazore said. "It feels like I'm having fun all the time." ---- sarahdougherty@yahoo.com Sequoia Kahnawake Mohawk Territory 450-638-2197 www.sequoia.ca Copyright c. 2004 The Gazette (Montreal). --------- "RE: Charter School proposal has Native ideas" --------- Date: Wed, 5 May 2004 08:26:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TRADITIONAL WAYS" http://www.pechanga.net/ http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/5035840p-4964260c.html Charter school proposal has Native ideas at center KOKRINE: Middle schoolers would learn tradition and ANCSA. The Associated Press May 4, 2004 FAIRBANKS - Officials alarmed at high Alaska Native student dropout rates are proposing a charter school aimed at keeping students in school. Of about 190 Native freshmen who started high school in 2000, fewer than 80 entered 12th grade four years later, said Sharon McConnell Gillis, executive director for the Doyon Foundation. "These are really staggering statistics," Gillis told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. A committee of Native and education leaders hopes the Effie Kokrine Charter School will help change those numbers. The group hopes to bring a proposal for the 150-student secondary charter school to the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District School Board this summer. "We know that what is currently being done is not working for our Native students," Gillis said. If approved by the district and the state board, the charter school would open in 2005, serving Native and non-Native students in seventh through ninth grades. A defining characteristic of the school, as it is proposed, is its curriculum. Organizers plan to teach all academic subjects using Native culture and practices. A science unit on weather could include traditional and modern forecasting methods. Government and history lessons might include an emphasis on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and tribal, state and federal laws that affect Native people, organizers said. The committee also hopes to hire as many Native teachers as possible, bring elders into the classroom regularly and require parent involvement in the school. "We envision school starting off in the fall with a spirit camp or a cultural camp," said Bob McGuire, director of the learning styles center project for the Association of Interior Native Educators, which will serve as the umbrella organization for the charter school. "A lot of the things in this curriculum are not just things you can talk about in the classroom. You have to get out and experience them as much as possible." McGuire said the curriculum's emphasis on Native culture should make it more relevant to students. "I think the basic effect is right from the beginning we will have students having pride and taking control and interest of their own education," he said. Copyright c. 2004 The Anchorage Daily News. --------- "RE: Statement from Kahnawa:ke Grand Chief Norton" --------- Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 01:34:55 +0200 From: kolkjes77 Subj: Statement from Kahnawa:ke Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton Mailing List: FN http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archive/May2004/06/c9978.html Attention News Editors: Statement from Kahnawa:ke Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton re: Kanesatake MONTREAL, May 6 /CNW Telbec/ - 6, Onerahtohko:wa - The following statement is issued by Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton on behalf of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawa:ke (MCK): "The Mohawk Council of Kahnawa:ke is extremely concerned about the volatile and dangerous situation in Kanesatake. We are especially concerned that the actions being contemplated (sending in a combined force of SQ, RCMP and Kanesatake Police into Kanesatake) could potentially lead to bloodshed. --------- "RE: RCMP to patrol troubled Kanesatake" --------- Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 08:11:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="KANESATAKE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.theglobeandmail.com/~/National/?query=aboriginal RCMP to patrol troubled Kanesatake Canadian Press with Globe and Mail Update May 5, 2004 Quebec provincial police and RCMP officers will jointly patrol with Mohawk Peacekeepers in the troubled Kanesatake community near Montreal, Public Security Minister Jacques Chagnon said Wednesday. Mr. Chagnon made the announcement following meetings with Grand Chief James Gabriel to find a solution to the policing problem in the community which was the site of a deadly land claims standoff in 1990 where one provincial police officer was shot dead. The patrols were to begin Wednesday afternoon and provincial police were to provide liaison between the three forces, Mr. Chagnon said. The assistance came after a request from Kanesatake Peacekeepers chief Ed Thompson, who has been unable to get his new police force into the community. Protesters have hurled objects at aboriginal police trying to enter Kanesatake and three officers were injured in a clash earlier this week. Mr. Chagnon appealed for calm but said the government would not tolerate masked protesters preventing police from doing their job. In the House of Commons Wednesday, Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said that the federal and Quebec government, and the band council at Kanesatake are committed to restoring safety and security to the community. "All parties are working together. To that end, I want to make it clear to everyone that the RCMP will support the [Quebec police] and the Kanesatake Mohawk police. Finally, I would call upon everyone in the Kanesatake community to respect the rule of law." Kanesatake has been simmering over policing since February when Mr. Gabriel brought in a force of aboriginal officers from other communities in an effort he said was aimed at cracking down on organized crime. Opponents to the plan surrounded the Kanesatake police station, forcing the officers to remain inside. Roads around the community were also blocked and Gabriel was forced to flee after his house was burned. The standoff only ended after the Quebec and federal governments brokered a deal among the community's police commission members. Copyright c. 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: Natives ask Pipeline Partners for Land Fees" --------- Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 08:11:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GAS PIPELINE" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.theglobeandmail.com//?query=aboriginal Natives ask pipeline partners for land fees By BRENT JANG May 10, 2004 Energy giants planning a $5-billion Arctic natural gas pipeline are being asked to pledge $200-million in land-access fees to help natives in a depressed region of the Northwest Territories. Stephen Kakfwi, the former NWT premier who was born in the Sahtu settlement area, is spearheading efforts to secure money for K'ahsho Got'ine aboriginals before they agree to grant pipeline builders the right to cross traditional native lands. Toronto-based Imperial Oil Ltd. and its partners expect to file regulatory applications this summer to construct the Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline. If approvals are given by an array of regulators, construction could start by late 2006. But before even a single shovel digs into the Arctic tundra, leaders in the Sahtu's K'ahsho Got'ine district want assurances that funds will flow into community coffers once the pipeline begins to transport gas to southern markets, perhaps by late 2009. While a historic agreement last year allowed the Inuvik-based Aboriginal Pipeline Group to become a co-owner of the Mackenzie project, the next step -- reaching land-access deals -- is crucial, Mr. Kakfwi said in an interview. "There seems to be a big scare that aboriginal groups are trying to kill the pipeline and trying to delay," he said. "But the thing to do is just be calm and collected. We've asked for the pipeline and we're willing to carry the ball." Although the energy giants are seeking to make the pipeline "as lucrative for themselves as possible," it would be a "deal maker" if natives are permitted to charge land-access fees, said Mr. Kakfwi, who travelled to Ottawa last month to outline his case to federal officials. "I still think it can be a winning deal for everybody, not just the producers," he added. "Everybody needs to work together on this." Officials with the K'ahsho Got'ine aren't alone in pursuing benefits for NWT natives. The Aboriginal Pipeline Group is representing a range of native interests, including Gwich'in and Inuvialuit. Separately, the Deh Cho have indicated they wish to strike their own land-access deal, since they don't have a land claim settlement yet with the federal government. For now, it's Mr. Kakfwi's group setting the tone for negotiations, believing that a trend-setting pact could be reached, creating a land- access model for other NWT communities to emulate. "A business and investment strategy is needed if the communities are to capture opportunities presented and escape the drag of a welfare society," the K'ahsho Got'ine said in a 10-page document dated April 7, and sent to the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The document suggests that a $200-million "contribution" to the K'ahsho Got'ine would be feasible, with Imperial Oil and other producers asked to join forces to pay up to $8-million annually over the estimated 25-year life span of the Mackenzie project. Roughly half of the $8-million annually would be earmarked for a cultural and environmental fund, and the other half for a business and investment fund, the K'ahsho Got'ine suggest. Imperial spokesman Hart Searle said his company has yet to receive any formal proposal, so it's too early to comment on the K'ahsho Got'ine's request for community funding. While the K'ahsho Got'ine expressed concern that northerners could largely miss out on the energy bonanza in their own back yard, Mr. Searle said gas producers are receptive to holding negotiations to ensure that NWT communities aren't neglected. "From the very outset, we've recognized the expectation that benefits should flow to people in the North," he said. Imperial is the lead Mackenzie owner with a 34.4-per-cent stake, while the other partners are Aboriginal Pipeline Group, ConocoPhillips Co. of Houston, Calgary-based Shell Canada Ltd., and Imperial's controlling shareholder, Exxon Mobil Corp. of Irving, Tex. The K'ahsho Got'ine document warned that, if the pipeline's backers don't take heed of the request for annual funding, the construction launch of the Mackenzie project could be placed in jeopardy. "The K'ahsho Got'ine will not sign access agreements until an equitable contribution agreement on access and benefits has been achieved, and the K'ahsho Got'ine receive assurance that the land and environment will be protected." Copyright c. 2004 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved. --------- "RE: AFN Chief Disappointed by Supreme Court" --------- Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 08:41:05 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="TREATY RIGHTS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2004/30/c7636.html AFN National Chief "Tremendously Disappointed" by Supreme Court of Canada's Announcements on Aboriginal and Treaty Rights Cases May 5, 2004 OTTAWA, April 30 /CNW/ - Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine stated today that he and First Nations across the country are disappointed with the Supreme Court of Canada's announcements regarding three important cases involving Aboriginal and Treaty rights. The Supreme Court said yesterday it will deny leave to appeal in the Benoit case, which means the Federal Court of Appeal ruling that Treaty 8 does not provide a right to tax exemption will stand. The Court also announced it will review two treaty cases involving the right to commercially harvest timber in the Atlantic. In the Joshua Bernard case, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal found that there is a Treaty right to harvest timber and in the Stephen Marshall case, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal reversed the convictions of Mi'kmaq loggers and ordered a new trial to apply the proper test for establishing treaty rights. These decisions will now be reviewed. "Yesterday's announcements by the Supreme Court of Canada are tremendously disappointing to First Nations peoples and are a loss to all Canadians because decisions that uphold our rights often lead to negotiated settlements and the clarification of rights and relationships," said National Chief Fontaine. "The credibility of the Supreme Court is certainly diminished in our eyes because in both these instances the Court is favouring the views of the Crown over the perspective of the First Nations' parties on Aboriginal and treaty rights." In the Benoit case, the Supreme Court has chosen to reject an opportunity to restore the Federal Court trial judgment that recognized and upheld the spirit and intent of Treaty 8 and instead is applying a one-sided view of the Treaty which favours the Crown. "The Supreme Court of Canada has said many times that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perspectives have to be applied when interpreting Aboriginal and Treaty rights," said National Chief Fontaine. "These decisions yesterday fly in the face of the Supreme Court's own pronouncements." The National Chief stated that it is further disappointing that the Court has chosen to review the Bernard case. The National Chief had called the earlier judgment by the New Brunswick Court of Appeal "a solid and balanced judgment which recognizes the Treaty rights of the First Nations litigants." The Supreme Court has stated in previous cases that section 35 of Canada's Constitution provides a solid base for negotiations on these issues because it recognizes inherent Aboriginal and Treaty rights. "Yesterday's announcements only serve to highlight the need for a First Nations Justice on the Supreme Court of Canada," said National Chief Fontaine. "That may be the only way to ensure the words of the Court in previous case law are given effect. Yesterday's announcements are a major disappointment but these issues will not go away and First Nations are going to keep working to ensure their rights are respected, protected and implemented." The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First Nations citizens in Canada. ---- For further information: Don Kelly, AFN Communications Director, 613-241-6789 ext. 320 or cell 613-292-2787; Ian Mcleod, AFN Communications Officer (Bilingual), 613-241-6789 ext 336 or cell 613-859-4335; Nancy Pine, AFN Communications Advisor, 613-241-6789 ext. 243 or cell 613-298-6382 Copyright c. 2003 Canada News Wire Ltd. --------- "RE: Gwich'in request to join CYFN called Historic" --------- Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 23:38:13 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="GWICH'IN CYFN" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://north.cbc.ca/~/View?filename=nor-gwichcyfn06053004 Gwich'in request to join CYFN called 'historic' May 6, 2004 YELLOWKNIFE - The Gwich'in of the N.W.T. want to join the Yukon's First Nation organization. Fred Carmichael, president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council, told a gathering of Yukon chiefs in Whitehorse Wednesday his people want to join the Council of Yukon First Nations. "We're coming back to our roots and recognizing that 'hey, we are one people our forefathers shared this land'," he says. The Gwich'in Tribal Council represents four communities in the Northwest Territories, and owns land in the northern Yukon. It wants to protect that land by becoming an official Yukon First Nation and having a seat on the CYFN. However, Carmichael says the move may catch Ottawa off-guard. "I think the federal government may be a bit surprised but I think also, that they realize more and more the aboriginal people throughout Canada are starting to come together and realizing they must work together for the betterment of the future generations," he says. Yukon chiefs praised Carmichael's proposal, calling it "historic" and reaffirming a relationship that existed many years ago between First Nations. A final decision to have the Gwich'in Tribal Council join CYFN will be made in July. Copyright c. 2004 CBC. --------- "RE: Premiers form United Front to face Feds" --------- Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 08:27:04 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="NORTHERN NATIONS STAND TOGETHER" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://north.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=premiersmeeting05102004 Premiers form united front to face feds May 10 2004 WHITEHORSE - Political leaders in the North are standing together to demand federal action on aboriginal health care, resource sharing and federal funding. The premiers of the three northern territories met in Whitehorse over the weekend, and agreed they want politicians in Ottawa to see a united front when they look north of 60. The aim, says Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie, is simple: "Get a better deal from Canada." Paul Okalik, Nunavut's premier, says he's heard plenty of campaign-style promises from federal politicians. Now he wants action on issues like health services for aboriginal people in the North. "The nice words that this national government is giving to aboriginal people - they should actually back it up to deliver those basic services," Okalik says. NWT Premier Joe Handley is putting Ottawa on notice that the North wants a bigger cut of revenues from diamonds, oil and other resources. "We are not going to take devolution of programs and services from the federal government unless we get an adequate share." And those demands, Fentie says, are not negotiable. "We will not back down from that position." The three premiers are also insisting on a seat at the table for any talks with the U.S. over a new missile-defence system based in Alaska. Copyright c. 2004 CBC. --------- "RE: Rival Gangs plague Stand Off Reserve" --------- Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 08:11:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="STAND OFF GANGS" http://www.owlstar.com/dailyheadlines.htm http://www.mysouthernalberta.com/leth/front_page.php Rival gangs plague reserve By GERALD GAUTHIER Lethbridge Herald May 10, 2004 STAND OFF - For too many teens on the Blood Reserve, it's not the colour of your skin that matters. It's the colours you wear that can get you beaten or killed. Since last August, four young men have been murdered on Canada's largest Indian reserve, a wind-blown expanse of prairie grassland west of Lethbridge. Three of those killings have occurred in the town of Stand Off, the administrative hub of the reserve. Although Blood Tribe Police have so far said they don't believe any of the murders are gang-related, one former gang member says he knows otherwise. He believes three of the murders were somehow linked to gang rivalries on the reserve. "The reason these kids are dying is because people claim a colour," says Ross (not his real name). "That's the reason I moved away from the reserve. "It's hatred. There's hatred down there," he says. "It's like L.A." Blue and red are the colours teens and young adults wear to identify which side of this rivalry they're on. Red indicates you're with the Bloods, also known as Red Alert; blue shows you're with the Crips, also know as the Night Rider Crips (NRC). Violent initiation rites call for prospective members to severely beat or murder someone to be admitted into the fold, he says. The only other way in is to suffer a beating from members of the gang you're seeking to join. That's the alternative he chose to join the Crips when he was just 11 years old. "I didn't want to kill or beat up anybody, so I fought them," says Ross, who's now 18. "I thought everything was cool. These people were bringing me drugs, they were bringing me money," he says. "When I first joined, I felt powerful. These guys were going to help me out." What he later discovered, however, was that the gang wasn't always there to protect him. When he was 15, he got "stomped" by seven other teens. Teens who manage to avoid gangs are typically those who stay in school and get involved in organized sports and other activities, he says. He went to jail when he was 16. While he was incarcerated he decided not to go back to Stand Off after his release because he knew returning to his former life would eventually land him back in jail. He has left the gang - paying the same price to get out as he did to get in - and is now trying to turn his life around in Calgary. "I'm not going back to jail, and I'm not going back to the reserve. It's connected - jail and the reserve are connected," he says. The best chance for getting out of gang life, he says, is to leave the reserve. "People have got to stop and think. There's more to life than just drinking and killing people," he says. "If they were smart they would move. If they wanted to end up in jail or dead, they would stay." He believes the reserve is more dangerous now than when he lived there and because of his former gang affiliation is cautious about where he goes when he returns to visit. "For me now, I'm scared to go there," he says. "If I was to go to the reserve right now, I would have to pack (a gun). That's how scared I am." Casey First Charger, 23, was found murdered April 12 in a coulee on the outskirts of town. About six weeks earlier, on Feb. 28, Ian Black Plume, 17, was stabbed to death outside a home in Stand Off. Last September, Blake Bird, 18, was found dead in a ditch near the local elementary school. He died of blows to the head with a blunt object. And only weeks before that, in August 2003, Bobby Holy Singer, 21, was found beaten to death in the Moses Lake area of the reserve. Drug and alcohol abuse contribute to the ongoing violence, Ross says, but gang members perpetuate the problem by constantly trying to intimidate each other. "It could be a lot of things. The main thing is they're looking for someone to fit in with. If you don't fit in, you're sitting at home doing nothing." Copyright c. 2004 Lethbridge Herald - Southern Alberta Newspapers. --------- "RE: Maya Artifacts found in Guatemala" --------- Date: Wed, 5 May 2004 08:26:19 -0700 From: Gary Smith Subj: NA News Item - - - - - - -- - - - - - - filename="EARLIER DEVELOPMENT" http://www.indianz.com/News/ http://www.indianz.com/News/archive/002069.asp Maya Artifacts Found in Guatemala Society's Rituals May Have Evolved Earlier Than Thought By Guy Gugliotta Washington Post Staff Writer May 5, 2004 Archaeologists working in a remote stretch of Guatemala's northeastern Peten wilderness said yesterday they have unearthed evidence that the ancient Maya may have developed sophisticated rituals and institutions hundreds of years earlier than previously thought. The city of Cival - five pyramids and three plazas overgrown with tropical greenery - yielded a cache of ritual jade artifacts that are about 2,500 years old, two huge carved and painted masks, and an inscribed stone slab unlike anything ever found in the region. The city's monumental structures are built on an axis pointing toward the rising sun of the autumnal equinox and evolved over several centuries to give the elites better opportunities to view the ceremonies, the researchers said. "We are witnessing the development of dynastic rituals," said Vanderbilt University archaeologist Francisco Estrada-Belli, leader of the Cival excavation team. "It is unusually early, especially for the eastern Peten." Maya civilization flourished in large areas of Central America for 3,500 years, ending with the Spanish conquest, but its apogee, known as the "classic" period, is regarded as having lasted from about A.D. 200 to A.D. 800. Many well-known classic Maya sites are in the tropical forest of the eastern Peten, but before Cival, archaeologists had not found extensive "pre-classic" sites there. Estrada-Belli said the site, about 20 miles from the border of Belize, was occupied from about 500 B.C. to A.D. 100. "It's an incredible site," said archaeologist Richard Hansen, excavator of El Mirador, in central Guatemala, a famous pre-classic Maya site. "All of a sudden we have this interesting cluster, and it's earlier than anything else in the area." Estrada-Belli said in a telephone interview that Cival had been discovered and sketchily mapped in the 1980s, but that formal excavation did not begin until his team reached the site in 2001. Estrada-Belli presented his findings yesterday at the National Geographic Society, one of the research sponsors. Estrada-Belli said his surveys showed that the site was about a half- mile square, twice as big as first thought, and may have had 10,000 inhabitants at one time. "This was a big city," Estrada-Belli said. "It must have been the early capital of the region." The main plaza was flanked by a pyramid on the west and a flat platform on the east, originally designed to allow townspeople standing on the platform an unrestricted view of the rising sun at the autumnal equinox - around Sept. 25. Later, however, the Maya built a much larger pyramid - 108 feet tall - beyond the platform, blocking the townspeople's sightline but offering the elites a much better view from the summit. Archaeologists regard this architectural arrangement, known at many classic Maya sites, as an indication of a developing class structure and greater ritual sophistication. "He's coming up with Maya state institutions at a much earlier time," said Mesoamerican archaeologist Elsa Redmond of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. "These buildings show us what is basically a rulers' ideology." Although Estrada-Belli's team members were Cival's first formal excavators, looters had already invaded the site, cutting tunnels into the large pyramid and through the platform to the plaza. Walking into the pyramid trench, Estrada-Belli spotted a "few inches of what looked like a sculpture." It turned out to be a 15-foot-wide, 10- foot-tall mask of a human face with L-shaped eyes adorned with corn husks and a square mouth with snake fangs. Estrada-Belli described the mask - limestone covered with a thick coat of stucco painted red and black - as a "corn deity" dating to 150 B.C. Later, the team found an identical mask on the other side of what appears to be a staircase. Out in the plaza, a second looter's tunnel led to the stone slab, dated at 300 B.C. - perhaps the oldest "stela" of its kind ever found in the Maya lowlands. Below the stela was a cross-shaped depression containing five smashed ceramic jars, 120 pieces of polished jade and five jade axes, each 10 inches long and strongly suggestive of the contemporary Olmec culture of southern Mexico. Estrada-Belli dated the cache to 500 B.C.